Arc of Fire

Wang Zhong finally realized what was happening.

“Shit, I’ve caused trouble, haven’t I?”

If the Grand Patriarch weren’t here, wouldn’t I be in deep trouble?

He wanted to ask his own people, but then realized that there was not a single “own person” around him, not even Ludmila.

At this moment, Belinsky said, “Alright, everyone has witnessed the fate of this traitor. You can return and continue the experience sharing session. I look forward to you summarizing a set of effective methods to deal with the Prosen Army. Off you go. Where are the palace servants? Come clean the floor.”

Wang Zhong glanced at the Grand Patriarch and felt again how happy he seemed to be.

I really need to think this over carefully…

Just as Wang Zhong was contemplating, Crown Princess Olga arrived.

She was wearing a court dress, the kind from the Victorian Era. One of the main characteristics of this court dress was: it was spacious and grand.

But Wang Zhong, having seen much of the world, did not stare cluelessly like a virgin uncertain where to lay his eyes.

He boldly looked, and then raised his gaze to the princess’s face.

Just at this moment, everyone else had left, leaving only the servants to replace the blood-stained carpet.

The princess took Wang Zhong’s hand and dragged him to an outside terrace.

Then Olga Nikolaevna Andronov whispered, “Did Belinsky ask you to do it?”

“No, it was truly an accident,” Wang Zhong replied.

Olga asked again, “So, was this your declaration of allegiance?”

“What? Uh, no. I just got carried away and didn’t think it through,” Wang Zhong answered truthfully.

Olga laughed, “If it were someone else, they definitely wouldn’t believe you; they’d think it was a well-considered action, especially since you are Rocossov, the ‘Imperial Iron Wall.’

What the hell? How did I become the Imperial Iron Wall?

As Wang Zhong was puzzled by this title, Olga continued, “But I know you just got carried away. After all, you and my brother are so close.”

Uh…

Olga: “My brother once said, if something happened in the future, and the church no longer needed the royal family, I should find you, and that you would definitely go to great lengths to protect me.”

Wang Zhong frowned slightly.

Had the Crown Prince said that? That didn’t sound like something a profligate would say.

So he asked, “When did Ivan tell you this?”

Olga thought for a moment, “Hmm… I think he said it when I was ten years old.”

Wang Zhong glanced at the princess’s chest: “That was quite a long time ago.”

Olga, as if reminiscing about the past, went off topic: “Yes, it was a long, long time ago. Back then, you and my brother were always taking me around the garden to play, and then we would all get scolded by the steward grandfather.”

There were such events?

Olga: “Once, when you two climbed trees, my dress was not convenient, and I couldn’t climb. I sat under the tree crying, and then you found some scissors, intending to cut the hem of the dress, but the whalebones stumped you.

“To deal with the whalebones, you and my brother even took out the gardener’s saw…”

Wang Zhong could only force a dry laugh, as he had no knowledge of these events.

However… wasn’t it said that I ran into a dead end with the princess? How did I hit a dead end?

Just then, Princess Olga took Wang Zhong’s arm, “Are you in a hurry to attend the experience-sharing session?”

“Uh, not really, I haven’t eaten yet, and there’ll be dinner provided during the session,” Wang Zhong said, trying to escape. With the princess looking like she wanted to reminisce about the past, he could spill the beans any minute! He even wished his stomach would make some noise to assert its presence.

However, Princess Olga, as if she hadn’t heard Wang Zhong’s words, took his arm and started dragging him away.

“Keep me company for a while.”

Soon, they had passed through several rooms and arrived at a secluded corner of the Summer Palace.

Wang Zhong felt he was going to be dumped; the girls here were too forward.

And their strength was considerable; being dragged by the princess was almost like being pulled by a bear.

Princess Olga banged open a massive door, and as Wang Zhong was dragged inside, he thought it was goodbye to Liu Xia.

Ah Liu Xia, my Liu Xia.

However, there was no bed behind the door.

It was a game room, with several large tables in it, covered with chess sets, playing cards, and other tabletop games.

On the inside of a bar on the left wall were countless bottles of what looked like very expensive liquor.

In the corner stood a piano and a violin displayed in a glass cabinet.

Starkly out of place was a bookshelf filled with large volumes of books.

The time was approaching seven o’clock, and the setting sun cast a layer of warm, pale yellow hue over the room through the windows.

Princess Olga released Wang Zhong’s arm, walked over to a chessboard, and looked at the game that was halfway done: “This is the last game that my brother played with me before he went to the front. I was about to win, and he began to cheat, saying he wouldn’t play anymore, and that he would continue when he returned.”

Wang Zhong looked at Princess Olga’s back; her royal gown left her entire back exposed, appearing so white and slender, fragile it didn’t seem like she could wrestle with a bear.

Olga: “He clearly said he would continue when he came back.”

Her shoulders started to tremble, her shoulder blades protruding sharply as if they would tear through her skin.

Wang Zhong wanted to go up and wrap his arms around her shoulders, but for some reason, he knew the next step after embracing her would be for the princess to throw herself into his arms.

Why am I so practiced at this, how many times have I taken advantage of others in similar situations?

Wang Zhong forced himself to turn away and started looking at the books on the shelf.

He expected to see many novels, but instead, he found works related to economics and philosophy.

The most prominent place held a book with the church’s insignia, and the author was Saint Andrew.

These books all looked very old, their spines creased from frequent handling, and some books were obviously well-worn and had their spines reinforced with paste afterwards.

Furthermore, all the books were haphazardly inserted on the shelves as if their owner could just pull out any book at random and start reading, so there was no concern for categorization at all.

Ivan Nikolayevich Andronov, you damn Crown Prince playing possum.

Wang Zhong picked up a photo frame from the dresser beside the bookshelf and looked at the three people in the photograph.

There were Ivan, Aleksei, and Olga.

The princess sat between the two handsome young men, smiling as if she owned the entire world.

Written on the photograph was the line: “Ekaterina the Great and the Twin Jewels of her Empire.”

What stuff are you talking about, idiot, her claim to the throne is higher than yours.

If she wants to be the Great Emperor, you would have to die first.

Wang Zhong was initially ranting when his movements suddenly froze.

“Brother once said, if something unexpected happens and the church no longer needs the royal blood, I should find you,” he recalled Olga’s words.

Wang Zhong looked at the photo frame again, as if he could see the expression on Ivan Nikolayevich’s face when he wrote that line on the photo.

He turned again, looking towards the bookcase, as if he could see Ivan gripping Saint Andrew’s work in front of the bookshelf with furrowed brows and a worried face.

He turned again, gazing at the desk, as if he could see Ivan writing furiously at the desk before hysterically crossing out what he had written and then burying his head in his hands atop the desk.

Wang Zhong scanned the entire room, and although he had never spent a moment in this room, he could almost see Ivan in every corner.

Finally, his gaze returned to the line “Ekaterina the Great and the Twin Jewels of her Empire.”

The Crown Prince Ivan’s calligraphy was quite good; even Wang Zhong, who was not familiar with Cyrillic calligraphy, thought the writing was very attractive.

The person who wrote it knew there would be no more Great Emperor Ekaterina.

But he still wrote down this line.

Because his sister wanted to be the Great Emperor Ekaterina.

Wang Zhong put down the photo frame.

He remembered the day he set out from Argesukov when Ivan had come to see him off.

At that time, Ivan had said, “Take good care of Olga.”

Wang Zhong stared at the photograph.

The Twin Jewels of Ekaterina’s Empire, now only I am left.

No, that’s not right, none are left at all.

Wang Zhong made up his mind, turned around, and walked toward Olga Nikolayevna, who was still recounting memories of her brother.

He embraced her shoulders firmly yet gently.

The girl seemed startled, going rigid, but the next moment she turned around and threw herself into Wang Zhong’s arms, crying bitterly.

The long-suppressed sorrow erupted, soaking Wang Zhong’s uniform with her tears.

Wang Zhong gently patted the girl’s back.

Compelled by some indescribable force, Wang Zhong glanced toward the corner of the wall.

He could see young Olga sitting at the piano, her fingers dancing across the keys.

Ivan was playing the violin, accompanying the melody of the piano.

And Aleksei was holding a wine glass, standing to the side, seemingly laughing at something.

The morning sun’s rays streamed through the window and fell on the three of them, warm and comforting.

Even though Wang Zhong couldn’t remember this scene at all, even though it was just two dandies entertaining their younger sister, his eyes were still slightly moist.

He could even hear the sound of the piano and violin.

He didn’t know what was being played at the time; surely, it couldn’t have been a sad piece, as the three of them looked so happy.

But the piece he heard was full of sadness and fiery like a blaze.

It was the background music from “The Invisible Guardian,” also one of his favorite game soundtracks.

This song called “Faraway,” was most famously used in the game for the scene where everything settles down, and Xiao Tu reunites with Lu Wangshu after returning.

Just like this very moment.

Even though the Prussian enemy had not been defeated yet, the arduous great war had barely begun less than two months ago.

Even though there would be many more sacrifices in the future, and Wang Zhong himself might fall on the road to victory.

But the music just started playing.

Perhaps, it was to bid farewell to their mutual loved ones.

Crown Prince Ivan, born into a family destined to be the last of the royals, never stopped looking for a way out.

He was like Don Quixote charging at windmills.

He might not be a qualified Crown Prince, he might not be a competent officer, he might be a damn fool and a womanizer, maybe…

But he was definitely a good brother.

And he should be a good comrade.

Wang Zhong gently stroked Olga’s hair as he bid farewell to a brother he had yet to become familiar with.

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